Thursday, July 13, 2006

in the moment

Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting old, but it seems that time is going by so much faster now. I mean, even the weeks fly passed me as I realize, "Dang! It's already Thursday!" And I guess that's one reason why I'm practicing staying in the moment.

So much time is wasted (has been wasted) in my life thinking about how much better things will be when . . . . I've wasted time wondering, like most people probably have, what would life have been like if . . . . But within the past few years I've learned that right now is what matters most. Right now is all we have. We can't change the past and we can only contemplate the future. The present is fleeting, but we have the ability to cherish or squander it, surrender or control it, enjoy or endure it.

In the moment is the only time we have the opportunity to choose how our life will be. We can choose to be happy, sad, mad, jealous, joyful or whatever each moment of each day. And how much more enjoyable would life be if when we're in a bad mood we could just let it go and choose to be happy. Life is way too short to waste our time on this earth being mad.

Like I said, I'm practicing living in the moment -- I'm not very good at it, but I'm getting better. And today I came across this:

When I was young, the future was where all the good stuff was kept, the party clothes, the pretty china, the family silver, the gown-up jobs. The future was a land of its own, and we couldn't wait to get there. Not that youth wasn't great, but it came with disadvantages; I remember the feeling I was missing something really good that was going on somewhere else, somewhere I wasn't. I remember feeling life passing me by. I remember impatience. I don't feel that way now. If something interesting is going on somewhere else, good, thank God, I hope nobody calls me. Sometimes it's all I can do to brush my teeth -- toothpaste is just too stimulating.
The future was also the place where the bad stuff waited in ambush . . . . Now I know I can control my tongue, my temper, and my appetites, but that's it. I have no effect on weather, traffic, or luck. I can't make good things happen. I can't influence the future, and I can't fix the past. What a relief.
Copyright © 2006 by Abigail Thomas
To be published by Harcourt, Inc. Due out September 5

When I read this I thought, "Yeah, that's what I've been thinking." Living in the moment, enjoying and savoring every second of every day is what makes life worth living. I want to get the most out of every bit of it!

2 comments:

Lisa said...

I enjoyed this post. My favorite line "dang! It's already thursday!"

Was it Steely Dan that sang "Time keeps on tickin', tickin' into the future." or was it the writer of Ecclesiastes? Both, I think.

Thanks for reminding me that I (we) get to choose how to respond to the hours in a day. You said, "The present is fleeting, but we have the ability to cherish or squander it, surrrender or control it, enjoy or endure it."

Phyllis Renée said...

Actually, the lyrics are "Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin into the future." And it's by Steve Miller.